GOP watch: The economy quandary

Likely 2012 GOP candidate Tim Pawlenty said on Meet the Press that the economy is growing and admitted that it's, in part, because of the stimulus. But he said that growth is "phony."

Yet private sector growth has outpaced public jobs, like those for the Census, according to latest jobs reports. Pawlenty said it would become clear in 2011 and 2012 that the economy wasn't growing the way it should. But Republicans continue to put themselves in the difficult position of sounding like they're rooting for failure. As Pawlenty himself said, the administration will deserve "due credit" if/when the economy turns around.

“There's no clear [presidential] favorite among Republican voters in three key 2012 primary states, a new poll found Monday,” The Hill reports. “A survey of GOP voters in Iowa, South Carolina and Michigan found support for different candidates in each state.”